Royals to touch down in Sydney

The royal couple - and George - are starting a super busy
tour of Australia. REUTERS/ Chris Jackson

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and
Catherine, will touch down in Sydney today for the first leg of
their Australian tour, with their nine-month old baby, Prince
George.

The royal couple - and George - are starting a super busy
tour of Australia that will take them to many parts of
Sydney, as well as to Brisbane, Uluru, Adelaide and Canberra
in 10 days.

The royal party arrives in the country after completing a
packed tour of New Zealand that saw them visit six cities in
10 days.

After touching down in Sydney, the royals' first stop will be
the Opera House.

The party will then travel across the harbour to Admiralty
House where they'll stay as guests of new Governor-General
Sir Peter Cosgrove.

Next day they'll travel to the Blue Mountains to meet
bushfire-affected families.

The region, west of Sydney, is still recovering after major
bushfires last October.

"I think ultimately this (visit) is something that will
please the community because what it says is that the world
hasn't forgotten what happened in October 2013," Blue
Mountains mayor Mark Greenhill told AAP.

"It means long after the smoke has cleared people still
remember and I think that is very important."

During their time in Sydney, the royal party is also due to
visit the Royal Easter Show at Homebush, attend Bear Cottage
children's hospice in Manly, and take in a surf life saving
display on Manly beach.

Bear Cottage's nursing unit manager Narelle Martin said the
royal visit would be a "memorable memory" for the centre's
sick kids and their families.

"Part of Bear Cottage is about creating happy memories for
children whose lives are shortened, and this is certainly
going to create a very happy memory for those families," Ms
Martin, told AAP.

After a brief trip to Queensland, the couple will return to
Sydney to make a stop at Taronga Zoo and its bilby enclosure
- named after Prince George as part of the nation's gift
after his birth.

The couple will then visit Uluru, leaving Prince George with
his nanny in Canberra, before heading to Adelaide followed by
a final stop in Canberra for Anzac Day.

The tour comes 30 years since Prince Charles and Diana,
Princess of Wales, visited Australia and New Zealand for six
weeks with William when he was Prince George's age.

The trip, which will be the duchess's first official visit to
Australia, follows Prince William's last official visit in
March 2011 to Queensland and Victoria.